Superheater.



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, Application filed Feb. 28, 1902.1

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F. D. POTTER & R. 'D. JEFFREY$.'

SUPEBHEATER.

(Application filed Feb. 28, 1902.)

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IFREDERIGD. POTTER, OF LINDEN, NEW JERSEY,AND ROBERTD. JEFFREYS, on NEW WINDSOR, NEW YORK.

so PERH EATER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 716,100, dated December 16, 1:902. Application filed Iebruary 28, 1902; Serial No. 96,105. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FREDERIO D. POTTER,

I a citizen of the United States, residingin Linden, Union county, in the State of New J er- 5 soy, and ROBERT D. JEFFREYS, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing "in New Windsor, Orange county, in the State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in. Superheaters, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention hasrelation to an improved means for superheating steam; and its main object is the attainment of the following advantages.

Our superheater can be applied to any form if desired, and they are so arranged that any one of them may be isolated for inspection, removal, or repairs without interference with the continued use of the remaining units. In its preferred form each unit of our superheater is constructed of minor units, each so arranged as to permit of easy and rapid re moval, and is secured to a common header by means whereby considerable economy of,

3 5 space is effected. l l

, Our invention further comprises the combination of means for flooding the superheater while idle with means whereby the water may be automatically expelled from the super- 4o heater as soon as it is called uponto deliver steam. This feature is not an essential of our broad invention, but is preferably included in a complete installation constructed in accordance therewith.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation'of an ordinary return-tube boiler provided with our super-heater, the firewalls being shown in section. Fig. 2 is a top viewof the same. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of one of our units on the plane I) b of Fig. 4.

trolled by an appropriate valve 10.

in Fig. 1.

each unit are shownin Figs. 3, 4, and 5.

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of the same on of a form of electrically-controlled flooding and discharging device.

The boiler l is set over the furnace 2, whence the hot gases pass through the usual passages 3 to the boiler-tubes. The steam produced in the boiler passes out through an appropriate exit-pipe,as 4:,extended in a prefferably horizontal inner main 5. The superheated steam is drawn oif to the engines by the outer main 6, and the superheater is 10- cated between the two mains 5 and 6. This superheater is composed of any desired number of units in multiple, each unit having an entrance-pipe 7 leading to it from the inner main 5 and an exit-pipe 8 leading from it to the outer main 6. Passage of steam through each entrance-pipe 7 is controlled by an appro priate valve 9, and each exit-pipe 8 is con- In the form shown the superheating-chambers are located within the furnace-Hues and beneath the boiler-shell, and when so located it is convenient to connect them with the pipes 7 and 8 by appropriate risers, such as shown at 11 t It is obvious that this arrangement will be varied in particular cases to suit the location chosen for the superheating-chambers.

The preferred details of construction for Each unit is provided with a number of minor units, (in the drawings eight,) each constituting a superheating-chamber, which may be of any desired form or size so far as our broad invention goes. We prefer, however, to con- 'struct these chambers as shown in the drawings, wherein they are composed of an inner and outer compartment, the-outer being in the form of a straight tubular chamber 12, closed at one end, and the inner being anopen 5 tube 13, centrally located within said chamber 12. These superheating-chambers extend into the heating-space wherever convenient and can be easily placed or withdrawn by reason of their form. All of the chambers I00 belonging to a single unit are connected to a common header provided with two chambers 14 and 15, separated in any convenient manner, which insures open communication between one of said chambers, as 14, and the tube 12 and between the second chamber, as 15, and the tube 13. lVe prefer to connect the tubes 12 and 13 to the header by screwing one into the outer wall 16 and the other into the interior wall 17, which separates the two chambers. (See Fig. 5.) This construction facilitates connection and disconnection of the pipes and makes it unnecessary to provide a large space and additional openings in the header for examination and repairs. The steam from the entrance-pipe 7 enters each header at 18, passing through the semicircular offset 19 into the chamber 15. Thence it enters the pipes 13 of the minor units, and after passing through said pipes and the pipes 12 within the heatingspace escapes into the second chamber 14, leaving this at a high temperature,by the offset 20 and opening 21, by which it reaches the outer main ti to go to the engine.

It is to be understood that we are not limited to the use of any particular number of main units or of minor units in each main unit, nor is it essential to my broad invention what form is given each unit or where the superheating-tubes are placed.

If the supply of steam to the engines is for any reason discontinued and the superheaters become idle, means must be supplied whereby the superheating-tubes are protected from excessive heating and burning. This is accomplished in existing practice by flooding said tubes with water from the boiler and is usually accomplished by hand-valves. We have devised means whereby this flooding is accomplished automatically or by hand, as desired, and whereby when the engines are again started up this flood-water is dis charged and the chambers are opened to steam alone.

Our invention covers certain broad combinations of elements hereinafter set forth in our claims and may be embodied in a variety of structures, as desired. We have shown two of these in our drawings as examples.

In Fig. 6 is shown a form of automatic safety means particularly useful where batteries of boilers are used with an engine for each boiler. Under or near each header is placed a flooding-pipe 22 and a dischargepipe 23, each preferably provided with a handvalve, as at 23. The flooding-pipes are all connected to a common flooding-main 24, and the discharge-pipes to a discharge-main 25. (See Fig. 1.) The pipe 26 communicates with the interior of the boiler-shell below the water-level and on opening the hand-valve 27 therein admits water to the automaticflood-valve chamber 28. The discharge-main connects all the header discharge-pipes to the automatic-discharge-valve chamber 29, on the outer side of which is located the pipe 30,

leading to any convenient water-seal trap 31. In this last pipe we preferably locate a handvalve 32. The cylinder 33 contains a piston 34, through which passes a stem or rod 35, attached to said piston. At each extremity of this stem is a cone-valve, respectively commanding passage through the flood-valve chamber and the discharge-valve chamber. When the stem and piston move to the left in Fig. 6, the flood-valve is seated and access of water from the boiler to the headers is cut off, while at the same time any water in the headers is allowed to flow out by the unsearing of the discharge-valve in the chamber 29. On movement to the right the opposite efiect is produced in the two automaticvalve chambers. The spiral spring shown within the cylinder 33 in Fig. 6 (or its equivalent) tends continually by its resilience to close the discharge and to open the flood valve. The engine-cylinder is indicated at 36 in Fig. 6, and at 37 and 38 are shown the two parts of the throttle-valve chamber. The throttle-valve 39 serves to open or close communication between these chambers to start or stop the engine. Live steam enters by the pipe 40, connected to the battery of boilers. A pipe 41 preserves constant communication between the chamber 37 at the engine and that side of the piston 34 opposite the spring. Itis evident that when the valve 39 is closed pressure within 37 will cease, and the same will be true within the cylinder 33. This permits the spring within said cylinder to move the piston 34 to the right, opening the flood-valve and closing the dischargevalve. This admits boiler-water to the head ers and to all the superheaters, which are thus kept cool until wanted again. When the throttle 39 is opened, pressure is admitted by pipe 41 to the cylinder 33, and the floodvalve 28 is closed, while the discharge-pipe is opened, allowing the water in the superheaters to flow out into the trap 31.

In Fig. 7 is illustrated a modification of our automatic device, wherein electrical action is relied upon. Here the parts above described are all employed, save that the pipe 41 is replaced by a pipe 42, serving to admit fluidpressure to one side of the piston 34 from any source desired, the admission being controlled by a valve 43. (Shown in Fig. 7 in its open position.) At the throttle 39 is a circuitcloser 44, which operates when said throttle is opened to carry current from any convenient generator 45 to an electromagnetic device, such as the solenoid 46, whose core 47 acts upon the valve-lever48 to open the valve. 'When the solenoid is not in action, the valve 43 is closed again by any convenient means, as by the spring 49.

Our invention covers any construction whereby the electric current is made to cause reciprocal opening and closing of the Valves 28 and 29, and we are not confined to the means shown in the drawings and above described.

Our inventionis susceptible of many modifications, which may be made without departing from the scope of our claims, and we are not to be confined to the details of construction and modes of operation herein shown and described.

What we claim is 1. In a superheating apparatus, a fire-charm her, a plurality of superheating units independent of the chamber walls projecting through one of said walls into the fire-chamber, a common means outside of the fire-chamber for leading steam to all of said units, a common means for leading steam away from said units, aseparate pipe leading from each of said common means to each of said units and a separate valve in each of said pipes,

whereby any one unit can be isolated and renectedwith said superheater and means operatively connected to the throttle of said engine for connecting said source with said chamber while closing said discharge-pipe when said throttle is closed and disconnecting said source while opening said dischargepipe when said throttle is opened.

4. In combination with a superheatingchamber a source of 'fiuid for flooding the same and a discharge-pipe; an engine con nected with said superheater, and means operatively connectedto the throttle of said engine for connecting said source with said chamber and closing said discharge pipe when said throttle is closed.

5. A superheatingchambena pipe for flood ing the same and a discharge-pipe; in combination with a valve in each of said pipes, a common actuating means adapted to open one of said valves and close the other simultaneously, an engine supplied from said chamber, a throttle therefor and means controlled by movement of said throttle to operate the actuating means of said valves.

6. Asuperheating-chamber,a pipe for flooding the same and a discharge-pipe; in combination with an engine supplied from said chamber, a valve in each pipe, a cylinder and piston arranged to simultaneously operate said two valves in opposite senses and means controlled by operation of the throttle of said engine for admitting and releasing pressure on said cylinder.

7. A superheating-chamber,a pipe forflooding the same and a discharge-pipeyin combination with an engine supplied from said chamber, a valve in each of said pipes, an electric circuit, means operated by movement of the engine-throttle to controlsaid circuit and means controlled by said circuit for operating said valves.

8. A superheating-chamber,a pipe for flooding the same and a discharge-pipe; in combination with an engine supplied from said chamber, a valve in each of said pipes, a cylinder and piston operatively connected to said valves, a source of supply of fluid for operatin g said piston, an electric circuit, means operated by movement of the engine-throttle to control said circuit and means controlled by said circuit for admitting fluid from said source into said cylinder.

FREDERIC D. POTTER. ROBERT D. JEFFREYS.

Witnesses:

F. W. LONGFELLOW, H. S. MAOKAYE. 

